HARDY PLANT SOCIETY OF OREGON Princely, Public & Private: Gardens of Berlin & Potsdam

September 16 – 23, 2014

The rich, tumultuous and often tragic history of Germany is on full display in Berlin and nearby Potsdam during this eight‐day, seven‐night tour. Exploring the expansive domains of Prussian kings and the city gardens of modern‐day Berliners, you’ll come to understand why the locals call their city “the capital of urban gardening.” Along the way, we’ll also visit several key historic and cultural sites.

Tour Guide: Gavin Bade Escorted by Nancy Goldman & Jim Rondone

TUE 9/16 Assembling in the historic center of Potsdam, a short train ride from Berlin, we make ourselves comfortable at the Steigenberger Hotel Sanssouci, just steps from the gates of Park Sanssouci, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Mid‐afternoon, we get an overview of the Prussian royal palace and garden complex before enjoying a group welcome dinner. WED 9/17 We start our day at the home of Karl Foerster, the 20th Century nurseryman, garden writer and philosopher, whose life’s work promoted perennial gardening in Germany. We also visit several private gardens, including one in Potsdam’s Russian Colony, before touring a community garden designed to help integrate immigrants into German society. THU 9/18 Departing Potsdam, we drive through the Grunewald, Berlin’s lake‐studded urban forest, on our way to the center of Berlin and our home for the next five nights, the Eurostars Berlin Hotel. Passing through several districts, both West and East, we get to see many of the city’s historic and modern landmarks. Our hotel is located on Berlin’s premier shopping street, the Friedrichstrasse, and is only a short walk from Museum Island, site of five internationally significant museums, where the exhibits are open until 8 PM this evening. FRI 9/19 No trip to Berlin would be complete without visiting the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag. Nearby, the haunting Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is one of the most arresting public spaces in the world. Changing gears, we inspect an urban beekeeping installation, and take an afternoon walk through the Tiergarten, the former royal hunting grounds opened to the public in the 1700s. Not entirely coincidentally, our path through this expansive and beautiful park leads us to one of Berlin’s most beloved beer gardens. SAT‐SUN Traveling in and around Berlin, we meet some of Berlin’s most avid gardeners in their own private Edens, from a tiny urban 9/20 & 9/21 courtyard to more expansive suburban plots, as well as at Berlin’s oldest allotment gardens, the Dauerkolonie Rehberge. MON 9/22 This morning we explore some of the diverse plant collection—over 22,000 plants—at Berlin’s Botanic Garden, one of the leading botanic research institutions in the world. A group lunch awaits us at the nearby Royal Gardening Academy, which also contains a small nursery and sells an exquisite selection of gardening tools and supplies. TUE 9/23 After breakfast, the time to say “Auf Wiedersehen” is upon us, and we make our way to the airport or train station en route home, or to other destinations. Garden and other site visits subject to change due to circumstances beyond our control.

DETAILS & COST

This tour has been developed by the tour escorts in conjunction with Pathfinders, a U.K.‐based tour operator. The tour requires a minimum of 15 participants, and is limited to a maximum of 25.

The tour is priced in Euros (€) and costs € 1,915 per person (land portion; double occupancy), based on 20 participants. Single hotel room supplement is € 460. In US Dollars, this would be approximately $ 2,490 and $ 635, respectively, as of December 15, 2013. Tour invoices are presented in US Dollars, and the final invoice will account for currency fluctuations. A deposit of $ 750 is required at the time you are notified that your registration is successful. Credit card payments are subject to an additional 3.75% bank fee.

Tour price includes seven nights’ hotel accommodations (double occupancy), breakfast each morning, two group lunches and one group dinner, private motor coach and services of a professional driver, services of a professional tour guide, entrance fees for all visits except during noted free time, and gratuities for included meals, tour driver and guide. Garden visits may change due to circumstances beyond our control.

Costs not expressly included are the responsibility of individual participants. Among them are round‐trip air fare, transport to meeting point at Steigenberger Hotel Sanssouci in Potsdam, travel insurance, meals not expressly included in itinerary, items of a personal nature including some beverages at group meals (soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, mineral water, and occasionally coffee and tea), telephone calls, laundry, room service, other tips, etc.

Tour cost includes a $200 contribution to Hardy Plant Society of Oregon, a 501(c)(3) organization, and may be eligible as a tax deduction. HPSO tours are open to HPSO members only. If you would like to be accompanied by a spouse, significant other, family member or friend, you are welcome to do so, but the cost of one year’s membership for your companion will be added to the price of your tour.

REGISTRATION

Online registration opens for members of HPSO’s Travel Interest Group on January 2, 2014. Registration opens for all others on January 16, 2014. Use this link to complete your online registration: https://hpso.memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_mc&view=mc&mcid=form_153897

YOUR GUIDE & ESCORTS

UK‐based professional guide Gavin Bade has led five prior HPSO tours, to great acclaim. Gavin’s expertise is evident in and out of the garden, and he handles all the tour practicalities along the way. Tour escorts Nancy Goldman, a past president of HPSO, and Jim Rondone, the current one, developed the itinerary of this tour after extensive research and travel , and it reflects their eclectic tastes and wide‐ranging interest in the gardening world. Nancy and Jim previously conceived and escorted HPSO’s first tours to Benelux and Germany.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT